Men Accused of Girard-Goshen Burglary Appear in Court

CLEARFIELD – Two men accused of breaking into a local elementary school have appeared in colloquy court in Clearfield County.

Samuel Dean Kovach, 25, and Allen Wayne Robison III, 31, both of 604 W. Front St., Clearfield, are charged with burglary, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, criminal conspiracy and criminal mischief in connection with a burglary at the Girard-Goshen Elementary School in September.

Kovach pleaded guilty to burglary and was sentenced to 12 months to three years in state prison. This sentence will run concurrent with his recent probation revocation sentence of one to two years in state prison. He was ordered to pay restitution of more than $10,000.

Robison’s case was continued. Previously Robison was sentenced to one to three years in state prison for a probation revocation and he received a consecutive 30 days to one year state prison sentence for possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the affidavit of probable cause, Robison and Kovach were riding in a vehicle that was stopped by police Sept. 27. The stop was initiated to take Robison and Kovach into custody due to warrants for their probation violations. During the stop, the officers found drug paraphernalia on them. Officers could also see copper piping in plain view from the trunk, which was not latched. The pipes and the passengers smelled of fuel.

Earlier that same morning, someone entered the Girard-Goshen School and removed various copper pipes from the boiler room. A maintenance worker noticed a fuel alarm beeping when he entered the school and reported the theft.

The driver of the vehicle, Tessa Lee Robison, told police that Kovach and her brother asked her to drive them to Novey’s Recycling to cash in some scrap metal. She said she didn’t know where they got the copper, and they didn’t tell her. She admitted they always said the less she knew the better but she knew it was stolen.

When Kovach was interviewed by police he admitted he and Allen Robison went to the school and removed the pipes.

Tessa Robison is also charged with receiving stolen property and criminal conspiracy/burglary.